Really, do they? Does anyone who plays a professional sport deserve millions and millions of dollars?
Sure, they provide entertainment for everyone. And yes, they've worked their butts off to get to where they are today. No one is saying otherwise.
But do they deserve millions of dollars? Does Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers truly deserve 40 million dollars a year to play 16 games if that (not including playoffs)?
NO! For the love of God, no! Not one single athlete deserves to be paid millions and millions of dollars.
Now of course people will argue with me about this. But hear me out. These athletes play a sport for a living. They play a game. Let me repeat that so it sinks in. They. Play. A. Game.
A game.
They don't save lives, they don't protect their country and they don't work to cure cancer. They don't do any of that. Instead, they throw a ball, hit a ball, kick a ball, shoot a puck, etc.
Now you can't fault the athlete for signing the contract. I mean, if someone walked up to me right now and offered me a contract worth 100 million dollars, guaranteed, for five years I'd sign it (possibly in blood), without even thinking about it.
Who wouldn't?
Let me explain where this is coming from. This "rant" stems from the current bidding war for Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka, a 25 year old baseball player who is currently the most sought after free agent in the baseball world.
Rumour has it that teams are offering somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 million dollars for six years to sign the young pitcher.
By the way, Tanaka went 24-0 in the Japanese league with a 1.27 ERA and 183 strikeouts compared to just 32 walks. Great numbers in a pretty strong league. However, he has ZERO MLB experience.
Wait, what? That's right, you read that correctly. Teams are offering over 100 million for a guy who has yet to step foot on a major league mound.
Sure he's good, but you'd think people would like to see what he could do against big league talent for an entire season before they sign him to a long, expensive beyond belief contract.
It's happened before of course, and sometimes it happens with great results. The Texas Rangers signed Yu Darvish, another Japanese ace, for 60 million dollars for six years. Now that deal looks like a steal.
But the fact of the matter is, no matter how good any of these athletes are, none of them are worth the amount of money they are being paid. And the worst part about it all? The salaries in professional sports will continue to skyrocket, with or without a salary cap.
With that being said, however, I won't stop watching sports on television or in person.
Because even though none of them are worth the money, they are still worth the time.
